AUSTIN, Texas - Missouri State men's soccer standout Jesus Barea has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division I Men's Soccer Academic All-America® second team, the organization announced Tuesday morning.

Barea (Cádiz, Spain) is the first Bears to be named an Academic All-American since former player and current Missouri State assistant coach Kian Yari won his second CSC Academic All-America honor in 2022. Barea's selection marks the 10th Missouri State men's soccer player with the distinction. Overall, a Missouri State men's soccer player has earned the honor 20 times, with five Bears accounting for multiple selections.

Barea was previously named to the CSC Academic All-District team for the third consecutive season, which qualified him for the national ballot.

He is tied for fourth in the nation in goals (15), which is tied for the second-most goals in a single season in Missouri State history. Barea leads DI in shots on goal per game (2.78). He is also third nationally in shots per game (4.50), fourth in points per game (1.89) and fifth in goals per game (0.83). Barea scored at least one goal in 11 of Missouri State's 18 matches and opened the 2024 campaign with eight goals in the first five matches. He earned a brace in four matches this season, including consecutive outings against Pacific (Aug. 26) and Kansas City (Sept. 2). 

He was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second time in his career, becoming the first Bear to win the award twice. He was also the league's Forward of the Year and made the All-MVC first team as well as the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Barea became the program's all-time leader in shots taken (261). He is also second in program history in career starts (85), tied for second in career goals (34) and third in career points (87). 

Barea led Missouri State to a 12-4-2 record, including a 7-0-1 conference record to secure an undefeated MVC regular season championship. The Bears earned a national seeding in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round bye for the second time in team history. In Barea's time in Springfield, Missouri State won four regular season conference championships and three conference tournament titles, making the NCAA Tournament each year. He played a role in Missouri State's six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, one of only seven DI teams to make each tournament since 2019.

Barea holds a 3.67 GPA and is set to earn his bachelor's degree in Exercise & Movement Science.

Barea represents the 90th Missouri State student-athlete to earn this prestigious honor since the inception of the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America program in 1952.